“The [United Nations General] Assembly stressed the need to involve women in all water-related development efforts. In many cultures, including indigenous societies, women are the guardians of water… They need to be able to participate more meaningfully in decision-making on how water is used and managed, so that their countries can make full use of their knowledge, skills and contributions.”

                -UN Secretary-General Message on World Water Day, March 22, 2006

The Need

Throughout history, women have played a central role as stewards of water. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), “women are most often the collectors, users and managers of water in the household as well as farmers of crops. Women and children provide nearly all the water for the household in rural areas.” In urban areas, women are often in charge of accessing clean water and ensuring sanitation for their families. Women hold the knowledge around quality, location, reliability and storage of local water resources.

When water sources are contaminated or unavailable, women and children can be hit the hardest. They may be required to expend more labor collecting, storing, and protecting their water source, which can leave them with little or no time for other activities, like getting an education. The UN estimates that in some parts of Africa, women and children spend eight hours a day collecting water. Water-related diseases are also a common challenge to women, who are often responsible for caring for sick ones and have to step in for those who are ill and unable to work.

For some 30 years, international and UN global conferences have repeatedly recognized that effective sustainable water resources management depends on engaging women at all levels of decision-making and implementation. It is now recognized that the exclusion of women from the planning of water supply and sanitation schemes is a major cause of their high rate of failure.

Women have often been denied their human right to water and are continually excluded from key decision-making roles, which has led to environmental destruction, deterioration of human health, and the feminization of poverty. More than half of the 1.2 billion people who do not have access to water are women and girls and millions of Africans die per year of preventable water-related diseases.

Too often the technologies that are available to women do not meet their needs, such as pumps that have handles they cannot reach or public wells that are in an inappropriate location. The Global Women's Water Initiative partners to create opportunities for women to exchange technologies and best practices that are both practical and attainable.

WEA's work with the Global Women's Water Initiative

The Global Women's Water Initiative (GWWI) came about through conversations among three organizations: Women's Earth Alliance, A Single Drop, and Crabgrass. All three organizations received growing interest from our African colleagues to address the pressing water realities affecting African women and their communities, either during past conferences, other trainings, or in needs assessments. Through our collective efforts, we are answering this call. Each coordinating organization brings a unique element to the Global Women's Water Initiative. A Single Drop manages the appropriate technology, and the on-the-ground training and project implementation components. Women’s Earth Alliance manages the partnership-building, network support, and outreach components. Crabgrass manages the research, high-level strategy, and finance components. Crabgrass has organized three Women and Water Conferences in South Asia: one in Varanasi, India; one in Kathmandu, Nepal, and one in Dehradun, India. For more information, visit www.africanwomenandwater.org.